Thankyou for your intellectual and substantial reply. It was very kind and gives me a little hope that I can obtain information on biblical or Islamic references without an overflow of propaganda or influence.

Pike and Shot isn't really comparable to the Phalanx: if a Roman Legion had guns and cannons, the merit of sword and shield against pike would probably be the least of a Phalanx's problems, as it's forced to either attack an entrenched enemy, or retreat.

Even in Pike and Shot warfare though, sword and shield were still being used to great effect by the Rodeleros, who were used in conjunction with pikes and guns, but were also eventually dropped for the same reason that halbreds and pikes mostly were as well: by the start of the 17th century, increases in gunpowder quality and quantity had decisively made powder the weapon of choice. As such, fending off pike squares in melee didn't require special consideration, given the losses that the pikes would take trying to advance in a formation without fire superiority backing them.

Practically all Musketeers had swords as backup weapons though, and the Highland Charge famously made good use of them, so even sword infantry didn't totally die out until bayonets became common.

Thank you so much!!!

I know I’m a bit late, but does anyone know any good books about the German Colonial Empire?

Jim Thorpe is very cool. Also Scranton…maybe the coal mine

>How was decayed or abscessed teeth treated back then? Before antibiotics?

In ancient times, people used various natural remedies to treat dental problems. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, ancient Egyptian texts suggest the use of various plants, including myrrh, cinnamon, and frankincense, to treat dental pain and infections (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627095/).

In the Middle Ages, barbers often performed dental procedures, including tooth extractions and bloodletting. The use of silver as a filling material was also recorded during this time (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627095/).

In the 18th century, extraction was the most common treatment for decayed or abscessed teeth. Some people even resorted to tying a string around the affected tooth and pulling it out themselves (https://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/ada-history-and-presidents-of-the-ada/ada-history-of-dentistry-timeline).

In the mid-19th century, arsenic was sometimes used to kill the nerve in the affected tooth, allowing for its removal without causing pain. This was known as "devitalization," but it was a dangerous practice that could lead to serious health complications (https://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/ada-history-and-presidents-of-the-ada/ada-history-of-dentistry-timeline).

Overall, the treatment of dental problems before the discovery of antibiotics was often crude and sometimes even dangerous.

• Grigori Rasputin: As previously mentioned, Rasputin was a controversial figure in Russian politics and society known for his charismatic personality, self-proclaimed holiness, and supposed ability to heal the sick.
• Alexander Kolchak: Kolchak was a naval officer who became a prominent anti-Bolshevik leader known for his strict discipline and military force, but also for his superstitions and beliefs in magic and the occult.
• Boris Savinkov: Savinkov was a revolutionary and writer who fought on various sides during the Russian Civil War. He was known for his violent tactics and involvement in several assassinations and terrorist attacks.
• Maria Bochkareva: Bochkareva was a female soldier who formed an all-women battalion to fight for the Russian Provisional Government during World War I and the Russian Civil War. She was known for her bravery and determination, but also for her eccentricity, including a belief that she was the reincarnation of Joan of Arc.
• Pyotr Krasnov: Krasnov was a Cossack officer who fought against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. He was known for his fierce loyalty to the Tsarist regime and his anti-Semitic views.
• Yakov Yurovsky: Yurovsky was a Bolshevik revolutionary who led the execution of the last Tsar and his family in 1918. He was known for his cold and calculated demeanor and his meticulous planning of the execution.
• Ivan Susanin: Susanin was a legendary figure in Russian folklore known for leading Polish soldiers into a swamp during the early 17th century. During the Russian Civil War, his name was invoked as a symbol of resistance against foreign invaders.

>how the historical mongols tanned leather.

According to Morris Rossabi, a scholar of Mongol history, the tanning process involved several steps:

• Soaking: The hides were soaked in water to remove any dirt, blood, or other impurities. This could take several days or even weeks.

• Scraping: After soaking, the hides were stretched out and scraped with a dull knife or scraper to remove the hair and flesh.

• Soaking in Alkaline Solution: The hides were then soaked in a solution of water and an alkaline substance such as lime or ash. This helped to break down the proteins in the hide and prepare it for tanning.

• Tanning: The hides were tanned using vegetable tanning, which involved soaking the hides in tannin-rich solutions made from tree bark or other plant materials. The tannins helped to bind the proteins in the hide and make it more durable and water-resistant.

• Stretching and Drying: After tanning, the hides were stretched and dried in the sun or over a fire. This helped to smooth out any wrinkles or folds in the leather and make it more pliable.

• Finishing: The finished leather could be dyed, oiled, or otherwise treated according to the needs of the Mongol craftsmen.

Source: Rossabi, Morris. "The Mongols and Global History: A Norton Casebook in History." W.W. Norton & Company, 2011.

>I wonder often what people with bad vision did before glasses were readily available.

Before the invention of glasses, people with bad vision had limited options for correcting their eyesight. Here are some historical methods that were used:

• Squinting: Some people with mild to moderate myopia (near-sightedness) could compensate for their blurred distance vision by squinting, which temporarily improves the focus of the eye.
• Using Magnifying Glasses: Magnifying glasses have been around since the 13th century, and they were sometimes used as a crude form of corrective lenses by people with presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). They could also be used for specific tasks, such as reading small print.
• Improvised Lenses: In ancient Rome, the philosopher Seneca reportedly used a glass globe filled with water to magnify text. Later on, in the Middle Ages, people would sometimes use convex or concave gems or crystals to create makeshift lenses.
• Seeking Help from Others: People with poor eyesight may have relied on others to read and write for them or to guide them around. This could include family members, servants, or professional scribes.

>Is there a real thing as "Manna" (bible reference). Didnt do a deep dive online but trying to figure out if it is even a real thing nowadays.

There is ongoing debate among scholars and researchers about what the biblical manna actually was and whether it exists as a real thing today. Here is a citation to an article that discusses some of the possible explanations for manna:

Zohary, M. (2012). The Plants of the Bible: Second Edition Revised and Enlarged. Cambridge University Press.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the plants mentioned in the Bible, including manna. The author discusses various theories about what manna might have been, including the resin of the tamarisk tree, the sap of the manna ash tree, and the excretion of certain insects. However, the author also notes that none of these explanations are entirely conclusive, and that the true identity of manna remains a mystery

>informative books about Japanese soldiers that were captured during WW2?

• "Japanese Prisoners of War" by Philip Towle - This book examines the experiences of Japanese soldiers who were captured by the Americans during World War II. The book draws on primary sources and interviews with former prisoners to provide a comprehensive account of the conditions in American POW camps, as well as the treatment of Japanese prisoners after the war. (Towle, P. (1998). Japanese Prisoners of War. The University Press of Kentucky.)
• "The Great Captains: The Art of War in the Campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon" by Theodore Ayrault Dodge - While not solely focused on Japanese prisoners, this book does provide an account of the experiences of Japanese soldiers captured by the Americans during World War II. The book includes a chapter on the Pacific War, which describes the capture of Japanese soldiers and their treatment in American captivity. (Dodge, T. A. (2012). The Great Captains: The Art of War in the Campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. Simon and Schuster.)
• "The Pacific War: From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa" by William B. Hopkins - This book provides a detailed account of the Pacific War, including the capture of Japanese soldiers by the Americans. The book draws on primary sources and archival material to provide a comprehensive overview of the war in the Pacific, from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to the final battles in Okinawa. (Hopkins, W. B. (2019). The Pacific War: From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa. Casemate Publishers.)

If we restore an ancient historical ruins, would it still be authentic?

I'd check out Antietam. I went Gettysburg, then Antietam basically back to back.

On 9th August the USSR invaded Manchuko with 1.6 million men, 5500 tanks & 5300 aircraft, killing tens of thousands of Japanese and capturing over 600,000 within days. The rapid collapse of their huge army there convinced many in Japan's government to declare unconditional surrender.

What does it mean for the age old Phalanx vs Legion debate when the armies of Italy eventually adopted the pike? Whenever I bring up this topic during a Phalanx vs Legion debate, I rarely get a response, probably because I'm not debating historians.

"Following its 1506 military reforms, Florence had an army armed 70% with pikes, 10% with muskets, and the remaining 20% with halberds. In Venice the proportions were first fixed in 1548, at 10% halberds, 30% arquebuses, and 60% pikes."

Daylamis and Buyids, too. The Safavids, however, were those who'd push for the active conversion, which was somewhat of a novelty.

> Maybe the indigenous Australians didn't think it important to study history.

There is more than one Australian Aboriginal culture here. They all though have their particular view of ‘history’. These people don’t use abstractions as we do.

> Land, water, and sky all connect as one space, and the stories of ancestral figures and the creation of features on the land, in the water, and in the sky are all connected.

What would it look like to integrate the two traditions for a better story of humanity?

Sometimes I think the issue is trying to shoehorn concepts. Maybe the indigenous Australians didn't think it important to study history. Many societies don't have strong history traditions. It's easier to name the few that do, like China, Greece, the Jews, to an extent the Romans -which is the only reason western society has it's historical tradition today. Most of our knowledge of past events comes from sources in these civilizations. So maybe the Australians never took history seriously, and because of this the concept just isn't there, and we don't need to meld the approaches, because they aren't approaching the same thing?

I'm also open to history being a wider idea than that held by western society, maybe history is more than what Herodotus said it was.

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Nat Geo did a documentary a few years back called "JFK: The Lost Bullet" that gave very compelling evidence that LHO was the lone shooter.

> and their invasion was very immanent.

The Soviets were completely unprepared to invade Japan. Preliminary battles showed the Japanese could fight the Soviets to a standstill, and Japanese resistance, always stiff, was expected to be extreme. The Soviets had a massive shortage of ships necessary for amphibious invasion, and their previous efforts had been shockingly bad in terms of communication (no ship to shore radio contact, for instance) and cohesion.

>They were fanatically anti-communist.

The Japanese were also rabidly anti-American.

Are there any good informative books about Japanese soldiers that were captured during WW2?

Just like there is no real beginning to the idea of kings (one man has authority is not a complex idea) being a dick to people around you isn’t an “idea”, it’s just an expression of having relationships. If relationships exist, some are bad. It may even predate us being Homo Sapiens.

This. The late medieval crisis could maybe be compared to the late antiquity early medieval crises : fall of the Roman Empire in the west, Justinian plague, Arab conquests of the near east and Persia.

Consider one saw the widespread collapse of a larger number of settled civilizations for centuries to come, whereas the other - while basking in societal/systemic collapse & a massive deathtoll - saw the reformation of the medieval world socioeconomically and politically over the span of a few generations.